Deep in the heart of primal Meikarova, lies the Forest of the White Caves, named for its many painted caves, and claimed by the Ushkan volhovy cabal: The Circle of Zulgan-Tash. The people of the Forest of White Caves come from ancient stock; they keep to themselves and they know the value of wisdom and tradition. The forest itself is as vast as it is dark, and as old as it is untamed. Amongst the pine, spruce, and larches, grow great oaks, as wide as a wagon, and as tall as a the towers of Urzien. The oaks provide a reminder that the lives of men are short and the forest will still be there long after they are buried in the body of Moist-Mother-Earth. Many of the oaks have been given names by the people who live beneath them: Great Nickolai; The King of the Vale; Emperor of the South; The Guardian of Meikarova, The Eastern Cross, King of Winter.

Before the worst of the threats to man were pacified or driven out by the Circle, travel between villages was by river alone, and the depredations of wolves and worse led to isolation and poverty. These days ensorcelled roads link fortified villages, and monsters are kept at bay by the wisdom and sorcery of the volhovy. Now, the peasants dig for iron ore, and trade the fur and meat of moose, deer, and the great forest bison that roam the woods. Safety comes at a price of course, and only the Wise Ones of the various villages know what bargains have been made with the Circle to gain their protection.

In the Forest of White Caves, people know they must work hard and remain vigilant to survive. They know that just because they cannot hear the wolf howl in the woods, it doesn’t mean he is not there, and they know that when you deal with a volhov there is always a price to be paid.